AFL news: New Carlton coach Michael Voss outlines new game plan and a new culture
New coach Michael Voss has stepped up implementing a new brand of football and culture as Carlton players hit the track for their first official pre-season run. See the training photos.
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New Carlton coach Michael Voss wants to iron out the Blues’ wild inconsistencies and defensive lapses with a much more reliable and cohesive game plan.
The Brisbane champion said the club was in the process of implementing a new culture and new brand of football after almost a decade in the doldrums.
While he was disappointed by Liam Jones’ decision to retire instead of getting vaccinated for Covid-19, the Blues began the pre-season on Monday in excellent shape.
Voss said despite continued talk about how much “talent” Carlton had, the true test was whether it could play a more team-oriented style of game “no matter what the occasion”.
New president Luke Sayers said finals was the benchmark in 2022, but Voss was adamant September was far from their minds as pre-season training began.
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“The biggest thing for us is if we can roll out every week and play a reliable brand of football,” Voss said.
“If our members can come to the game and know what to expect.
“To be able to let our minds drift into that (finals) space I just don’t think it is a mindset we should have right now.
“There is a bunch of work we have got to do, and lots of clarity we have got to provide. We have got new coaches and a new game style.
“We are trying to put in a new culture in at the football club, so we have got to go to work to put in the behaviours that we want and that will support us through the year.”
Voss said the administrative and coaching overhaul at the Blues was the biggest change he had seen in three decades of footy other than Brisbane in 1999.
He said the players had responded well to the clean slate after a poor year saw the Blues sack coach David Teague with one season left on his contract.
“From my perspective the group deserves a fresh set of eyes,” he said.
“We have got a whole new coaching group. Hopefully that gives them the fresh start they are looking for.”
New midfielders Adam Cerra and George Hewett stepped out in new colours for the first time at Ikon Park on Monday, while ex-Bulldog Lewis Young and Mitch McGovern have presented well in their bid to take Jones’s spot in the back line.
Captain Patrick Cripps looked lean while Brownlow Medal fancy Sam Walsh has again blown his peers away in the time trial stakes.
Charlie Curnow, after two years of nightmare knee problems, showed of his agility snapping long goals on the turn late in the session.
Voss said he was buoyed by the group’s conditioning, with many of the fifth-eighth year players returning early to training on Monday.
“I’m impressed with the group as a whole, because you get an early feel for where the group is at and in all the discussions I’ve had with them every single one of them is really determined to get more out of themselves,” he said.
“To be able to see the group here and how they have presented themselves has been really impressive.
“Having the older group come back, it is nice for the coach they are doing that but as much as anything it is a statement for themselves that they are all coming back and starting together and we are starting the journey today.”
Defender Sam Docherty made an inspiring return to the club on Monday after undergoing treatment for a secondary bout of testicular cancer.
All Carlton players shaved their heads out of solidarity and to help raise money for Docherty and the Peter Mac Cancer Foundation.
“The boys love him and as you saw they reached out pretty heavily and got around him in a big way,” Voss said.
Walsh laments Jones walking away from game
Superstar Carlton midfielder Sam Walsh says it is a “shame” Liam Jones walked away from the game over the vaccination mandate given his passion for footy.
Walsh said he had been in contact with the gun defender who seemed at peace with his shock decision to retire rather than have the jab for COVID-19.
“He is entitled to his own opinion with it all and it is obviously a bit of a shame to see him go, but we have got to move on now and come in day one and plan without him,” Walsh said.
“I’m sure we can develop our own identity without him. He was a great character and one of the better blokes you will meetin footy, but that is how it is.
“He was obviously left with a real tough situation, and I know how much he enjoys playing footy and loves playing footy at this club.
“I reached out to him and he got back to me. He seems in a pretty good mindset.”
Coach Michael Voss admitted he unsuccessfully tried to change Jones’ mind over the matter but in the end said the backman would be welcome back at the right time.
“Of course you are going to try to do that (persuade Jones to have the jab),” Voss said.
“But it comes down to choice and the conversations we have with him are obviously quite private and his reasons for that are quite private and we are prepared to respect that.
“The boys love playing with him, he will always be welcome here at the right time to come back to the Carlton Football Club, but we also have to recognise that we have got to move on.”
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